Our Team
At von Waldberg we offer you a ready made and welcoming community of fellow German Shepherd fans. While we each play our own roles, we work together as a team and you are welcome to reach out to each and every one of us if you need anything. Whether an owner, staff member or volunteer, we all care about these dogs and want to make sure you have the support friendship you want, Here you will learn just a little more about who we are and how we ended up a part of von Waldberg.
Kate was a client of Von Waldberg for over 20 years. In February of 2017, she came back to von Waldberg after saying goodbye to a very special dog named Beau. While the visit was intended to pick up a puppy, a conversation started with our founder Phil about the prospect of stepping in as the owner when he retired. After weighing the options, the decision was made and in Summer of 2017, Kate was lucky enough to have the option to turn her passion for German Shepherds into her career.
With a background in customer service and law, Kate is focused on making sure that we deliver not only incredible dogs and puppies, but an incredible experience as well. Trained by Phil, she also believes in building a relationship with your dog based on mutual respect and love.
With Phil as a mentor, the von Waldberg family was expanded. Kate and her family believe that German Shepherds are special, but that the von Waldberg dogs are exceptional. As more people have become part of the team here at von Waldberg, we have made it our mission to carry on and do justice to the legacy built by Phil and his family.
Kate
Bryan
Bryan came to von Waldberg initially as our facility manager when he and his fiancée Sarah moved in to help maintain the property and care for the dogs. Within a short time he realized that he loved the dogs and soon became the proud dad of Nokia/Faiko puppy named Leroy.
We invited Bryan to be part of our team when we realized his love for the dogs and dedication to building a community would be a great asset to us and our clients. Bryan is the first to step up when there is something that needs to be done and his commitment to ensuring every one of our puppies goes to a loving forever home makes him an ideal member of our puppy adoption team.
In addition to helping puppies go home to their families, Bryan has designed managed the building of the renovations we have done. This includes the new kennels and shelters for the dogs, making sure everyone has heaters, our expanded, enclosed and heated boarding area and he personally built our indoor training facility. We are lucky to have him and he always puts the well being of the dogs first.
Eli
Eli found Von Waldberg when he was looking for somewhere to train his puppy Luna. He fit in immediately and volunteered for a number of years during which he proved he was an exceptional trainer. Dog training has always been a part of his life. His grandfather raised Tibetan Mastiffs and specialized in protection training and Eli has been part of that world since he was 7.
In 2021 we were fortunate that Eli was ready to transition into something new and we were able to hire him on as a trainer and property custodian. He cares deeply for his clients and has the ability to analyze the specific dog in front of him and customize his training to that dog. Living on site, he is also the one who gets up at 2AM to watch momma dogs until the rest of our puppy delivery team can arrive and then he stays up to help bring the babies safely into the world.
With his pack of 4 dogs (Luna, Yasko, Rockabye and Anke), Eli is a valued member of our team and a great asset to Von Waldberg.
Frank
Frank has been a member of the Von Waldberg family for many years. After a career that spanned everything from law enforcement to coaching tennis, he was ready for retirement.
Fortunately for us, Frank likes to stay busy. He started by volunteering to help with our training classes and teaching agility to those who were interested. He and his dog Teddy are agility fans and he was spending several days a week here working with clients and our dogs.
In 2020 we were able to coax Frank out of retirement and he became an official staff member. He and Zach work as a team to run our training program and he can always be counted on to step up and lend a hand.
Chloe
Chloe is an exceptional animal person. She found Von Waldberg after discovering a passion for German Shepherds when she rescued and rehabilitated her dog Charlie who had been taken from a dog fighting group. She saw him online and heard that he was on his last chance, and she gave him the home and love he needed to succeed. She has since brought home a puppy to give Charlie a little brother.
We liked Chloe's qualifications, but we love Chloe for who she is. She is remarkable with the dogs and won them all over within a few weeks. She manages the health and well-being of all our adults and is in charge of keeping the kennel clean and sanitized. She and Arianna are in charge of the puppies from the time they are born until the day they go home. They are the people who makes sure the puppies are independent, well-socialized and usually the person who gives them their first nail trim.
We are lucky Chloe found us. She is an asset to our breeding program and fit in from her first day. Her positive attitude and sense of humor keep our days fun. She is part of the Von Waldberg family, and we hope she will be for a long time.
Arianna
Arianna started at Von Waldberg in early 2022 and we cannot imagine life without her. She is an integral member of our team and loves the dogs like they are her own. She's even called dibbs on at least three of the breeding dogs (Iron, Dixy and Lea). And Iron loves her more than anyone else.
The proud owner of a Shepherd named Louie and a Chihuahua named Rambo, Arianna has added a VWK pup from Tawani and Faiko named Temper. She assisted in the delivery of that litter and has been with Temper every day of his life.
Arianna spends most of her time making sure that the dogs are happy and well taken care of. She assists with sales, puppy deliveries and, with Chloe, manages the puppy care and development from birth to the day they go home. She is also extremely organized and keeps the rest of us on track when we get too busy.
We cannot say enough good things about Arianna. She makes every day she is here better for all of us (human and canine) with her kindness, work ethic and sense of humor. We are proud to have her as part of the team and plan to keep her for a long time.
